wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi

I am looking into the options for a 1/4 acre plot of grassed land that
I own at the rear of my garden. One possibility is to "cultivate" it
into a small wood, and this really appeals to me.

Unfortunately, I'm totally ignorant on most things botanical....so I'm
in need of some guidance as to how I might get started. My objectives
are

i. relatively low cost & maintenance; i don't have much spare time
outside weekends
ii. attract wildlife
iii. a variety of trees, with emphasis on quick growing species (NOT
the dreaded leylandi !)
iv. maintain a small grassed area in the middle where one could
"escape" with a good book
v. encourage wild flowers to grow .

As I say, I'm pretty much clueless on this and am looking for advice on
how I might get started. Any good web links or organsiations would be
usuful.


Don't forget you may need planning permission if you intend to convert, say,
agricultural pasture land into a garden, even if it's a wildlife garden.

If you had plenty of time, you could just leave the grassland to its own
devices - excluding any grazing domestic stock - and it probably wouldn't
stay grassland for long.

You'd just need to mow your central area to maintain it as a clearing, and a
path to it. Mind you, the land probably wouldn't look very pretty, and you'd
be trusting to luck as to what species were to come out on top, eventually.